TYRE tracks in the snow led to the arrest of a suspect behind the theft of a teenager’s £2,500 bike.

TYRE tracks in the snow led to the arrest of a suspect behind the theft of a teenager’s £2,500 bike.

The distinctive tread meant all Robert Chambers had to do when he discovered his bike was missing was follow them in the freshly fallen snow.

For four miles the 16-year-old DIY detective tracked the trail before it ended at a Tyneside house and he called the police.

They arrested the suspect who is due to appear in court charged with theft and Robert told how he turned amateur sleuth to reclaim his mountain bike.

He had already had two cycles stolen and was determined not to lose another and so ran out, wearing just his T-shirt and shorts when he discovered the theft.

He started on foot from his home in Angus Crescent, North Shields, passed through several streets and crossed a playing field, before reaching the Coast Road, where the tracks disappeared.

Robert then hopped into a car with his dad Ian and they drove to Battle Hill, where Robert spotted the tyre marks again. The trail led them to the suspect’s home in Bowness Avenue. where the arrest was made.

Now Robert, a pupil at Burnside Business and Enterprise College in Wallsend, is delighted to have his Santa Cruz bike back.

He said: “When I woke up on Saturday, my dad shouted ‘Robert your bike’s gone’. I looked out and saw the tyre tracks on the snow.

“I was still wearing my sleeping clothes but I just ran down the street and started following the tracks. My bike’s tyres are very distinctive and I recognised them straight away.

“I kept following the marks, not knowing how far I would be going. But I was determined to keep going. I was not coming back without my bike.

“At one point the tracks disappeared and I started to think I would not see it again. But I worked out the thief would have gone down the Coast Road, and intuition took over.

“My dad came in a car and we drove to Battle Hill where we parked. As soon as I got out, I saw the tyre marks again on the untouched snow. It was like someone had drawn a picture.

“We followed the trail and ended up on Bowness Avenue. I could even see the suspect had ridden towards his house, dismounted, picked up the bike and carried it to his front door.”

Robert’s parents had contacted the police and they were advised not to approach the houses and officers arrived, arrested the offender and recovered the cycle.

Robert, who plans to study mechanics, added: “When I got to his house, I remember feeling very angry. I felt like barging in.

“When the police came and told me my bike was there, I thought ‘oh my God, I found it.’ I was shaking with joy.”

Mum Hailey Molloy, 35, an office manager, said: “The bike was locked and kept secure in our porch. The offender broke in to steal it in the early hours.

“When Robert realised it, adrenaline kicked in and he just ran out and followed the tracks. I was worried sick he might end up meeting the thief and get into trouble.

“But his dad went with him and they waited till the police came. It took them around three hours to follow the trail, the snow was a big help.”

Dad Ian Chambers, 37, an MOT tester, added: “It’s an absolute miracle that we found the bike. What are the chances of that happening? It was pure determination on Robert’s part that we did get it back.

“It was all down to his knowledge of mechanics and him knowing his bike so well.”

A police spokesman said: “At 8.13am on Saturday, police received a report that a bike had been stolen from a house at Angus Crescent in North Shields, and that the owners of the bike were currently tracing tyre tracks in the snow.

“They were advised not to approach any addresses and that police would attend.”

Lee Barker, 19, of Bowness Avenue, has been charged with theft of a cycle and is to appear at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court next month.

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